Wiki posting #2 (Please incorporate one parallelism into your post!)
PLEASE UNDERLINE OR BOLD YOUR SENTENCE WITH THE PARALLELISM INCLUDED.
Option 1: How does Wright describe racism in the South? Why is he unable to adapt?
Option 2: Explore the connections between writing and racial violence in Black Boy. How does Wright use writing as a solution to the inequalities he experienced in the South?
Growing up Wright wasn't aware of the meaning behind racism or why he and his family were forced to struggle in a world where whites were dominant. He is taught from a very young age that blacks and whites aren't meant to interact with one another but he is never sure why, which in turn makes adapting to racism increasingly difficult as he gets older. As he grows older he is able to try and make his own conclusion in relation to the struggles that his family as well as other black families went through. Only then, is Wright able to make sense of class struggle, labor struggle, and economic struggle. Although Wright's experiences as an adult were not easy to understand or accept he was able to gain a better understanding of the class divide between whites and blacks in a segregated society. It's through these experiences that Wright is able to express his thoughts and feelings through his writing. (Cody Devereaux)
Richard learned the power of writing when he realized that he was selling newspapers that preached the Ku Klux Klan doctrines. He learned that in reality he was helping them kill him and his own people. Whites used writing as a tool to convince other whites to support their hatred towards black people. These newspapers informed and educated whites in the South about ways to control black people. Richard learned that whites used this method because many black people didn’t know how to read which made them even more vulnerable. Something that impressed Richard was when he read how much whites brag about their conquests. From this experience Richard learned that he could also use writing as way to express all the racial injustices he saw around him. Many people didn’t understood why he wanted to be a writer because they believe that it was a waste of time. Something they didn’t know was that the only way he could express his huger for liberty, his hunger for freedom of expression, his hunger for understanding, and his hunger for equality was through writing. He learned that the only place where he was able to say and express how he felt about whites without getting kill was trough his writing. The only weapons he had against white oppression were the words he wrote. (Marisol Ornelas)
Wright describes racism as being a defining factor of his life growing up. Although it was a topic that wasn't directly addressed in the home, it was an issue that Richard definitely faced as he grew older. Racism and inequality was a taboo topic in his family, and the women in his family were always unwilling to address the issue. African Americans in the community were more willing to enlighten Richard on the inequality in jobs and the racism he would face from his employers. I think this is one of the main reasons he is unable to adapt. Richard had no understanding of racism, and had never experienced it, therefore, he was blind to its realities. When entering the work force, Richard began to see the inequalities that his friends and community members had warned him about. He began asking his friends about job opportunities in the city, and came upon a few positions that he was interested in. When he went to the first house of a white woman, he was surprised that one of the first questions she asked him, was whether or not he stole. Richard had a very sarcastic way of speaking to the people around him, and the woman was appauled that he had laughed at her question. She responded with, "Now, look, we don't want a sassy nigger around her," (146). Richard was unaware of the expectations that the white people around him would have: respond with yes sir/mam, move out of their way if they walked by, keep his head down when spoken to, and work and eat very quickly. He was surprised by the way he was treated by the various people that employed him as well. His employers all called him nigger. When Wright mentioned to his boss at the time that he wanted to be a writer, she responded with, "You'll never be a writer. Who on Earth put such ideas in your nigger head?" (147). There was a complete lack of respect for African American people in that time, and they faced constant struggles because of it. Blacks were lynched, beaten, and arrested, sometimes for no reason at all. Richard began to see the inhumanity in the world as he continued to work. He was bullied at his job for being black, and was later assaulted by an employee, and threatened to never speak of the incident or he would be killed. Richard began to harbor hatred towards the white people in his community that had done him wrong. Richard hungered for knowledge and food, which was initially why he had decided to work in the first place. He struggled to find himself a job that would provide him with enough money to buy himself food, so he wouldn't have to eat the food that his grandmother served him. He struggled to belong, struggled to receive the education he desired, and struggled to find himself in a sea of uncertainty. (Gabby Clyde)
I feel that Richard Wright talks about racism as something that is forbidden to talk about amongst the black community. It is almost something secretive that the elders keep from their young children as long as they can, which is why Richard had to adapt to the reality of racism amongst society. His mother, grandmother, etc... would not answer any of the questions he had on the matter of racism. This was why Richard considered himself "tardy" on understanding the meaning of a black and white person. From what I have read so far I also feel that Richard learns about racism from what others have to say, he has been taught to hate those who are white but is unsure as to why he should feel that way. "The touchstone of fraternity was my feeling toward white people, how much hostility I held toward them, what degree of value and honor I assigned to race. None of this was premeditated, but sprang spontaneously out of the talk of black boys who met at the crossroads." Richard presents that his thoughts of white people have come from his surroundings. If you were to be a part of a black community there was certain ways of thinking. Therefore, it is the thoughts and opinions of others that teach him to adapt to the racial segregation occurring. However there are times where he learns himself about racial discrimination. Selling magazines that contained lynching stories and their horrific stories inform him of things others would not darn to talk about if asked. (Jodi Gongora) parallelism?
Richard learned growing up that his questions about racism were never answered. It was a topic that everyone avoided and he did not understand why that was. It was something that everyone had to put up with. In the south blacks were treated like animals. Treated like they were worthless. Treated like garbage. The south was a place where black people were not allowed to have aspirations. According to white people they would never be anything important in life. They would not be able to succeed at anything only because they were black. Richard had aspirations and dreams and he was not going to let anyone get in his way of accomplishing them. He knew somehow he had to move and continue his journey towards success. It was because of his love of reading that he got more curious to what was really happening and why white and black people were so different. He experienced at first hand the violence and discrimination of white people towards the black people at the places he worked. They were not treated equally and the black people always had to do the dirty jobs that the white people would never do. Guillermo Rojas
What is striking about Wrights descriptions of racism in the South is the raw, animalistic way the races regard one another. Punctuated by irrational fear and unfathomable rage, the interaction between blacks and whites resembles that of keeper and kept, hunter and hunted, predator and prey. The white community seems to regard blacks as completely subhuman; a beast to be feared, loathed, and—wherever possible—tamed and put to work. This mentality is demonstrated not only in their unspeakably callous way of “hunting” and lynching, but also in more commonplace interactions. Wright describes scenes from his early experiences with whites in which the white employer treats him as a sort of trained animal rather than a fellow human being. For example, on page 147, one of his first employers leaves out moldy molasses and rock-hard bread for his “meal,” then scolds him for not devouring it. “I don’t know what’s happening to you niggers nowadays,” she clucks disapprovingly. It never occurs to her to offer him food fit for human consumption, and she’s clearly vexed when he fails to conform to her notion that niggers, like dogs, should greedily devour anything set before them. Further down the page, when she inquires after Wrights reasons for attending school—what, after all, could a black boy possibly want with an education?—she quips, “Who on earth put such ideas into your nigger head?” The very word, nigger, is applied in a deliberate effort to further dehumanize the black boy in her kitchen. Later, on page 163, when another employers dog attacks him, the owner dismisses Wrights distress, declaring that he “never saw a dog yet that could really hurt a nigger.” Again, nigger seems to imply some basic, genetic difference from humans. A black man is still a man, but to a white employer, niggers are not people; they are animals that can work tirelessly, eat sparingly and survive trifling dog attacks with ease. This dehumanization is reciprocated as the black community comes to regard whites as a terrible, unpredictable animal force, capable of unspeakable horror at the slightest provocation. On page 172, Wright recounts sensations that would not seem out of place for a man confronting a wild, predatory beast; a “temporary paralysis of will and impulse,” and a sense that the “penalty of death awaited me if I made a false move…” Despite this fear, Wright refused to simply fall in line and accept "his place" in the world. His voracious mind and exposure to the world of reading and writing had forever tainted for him the base existence of the black man in the South; Wright dreamed of more. The system failed to crush his spirit, and more importantly, his imagination and drive. (Ian Loveall)
After learning about the newspapers he was selling, Richard realized that writing was a tool used as propaganda. The whites were able to gain support and momentum quickly, by writing, in order to maintain the Jim Crow south way of living. Newspapers were an efficient way to pass information to whites and to deplete the moral of the blacks who were mostly illiterate and uneducated, and would not be able to read what was being written. The whites used writing as a way to educate other whites on how to handle African-Americans and to brag about their conquests. Although he was devastated, Richard Wright learned that writing was a way to express himself. Blacks considered him a fool for wanting to write. They believed there were better things for Richard to be spending his time doing. However, writing was a pathway that led Richard to self-discovery. He was able to be creative and tell stories, and escape the injustices around him. Writing created a whole new world for him. Richard realized that the whites controlled him, controlled his family, and controlled his future, but through his writing, he was able to be a different person. In writing, he was not the poor, black boy from the south, but a literate, educated man. (Nicole Peck)
Richard would always find a safe place whenever he would write. He would write to dream, to imagine, and to escape the racial south. Richard is always put down by his family and he began to stick to his own morals. Richard would write fictional stories and no one understood why he would make a story up. He was told it was the devil's work. However, he kept writing because it was liberating. Richard is proud of his writing. When the principal asked him to recite the speech he had written because there will be whites there, Richard refused. He thought that even though his speech was not the best it reflected how he is as an individual. The principal threatened him. However, he didn't understand why the school would ask him to write a speech when he isn't allowed to deliver it. Richard was told that he is throwing his life away but he still recited his speech. Richard's writing became a passion and a way to release his frustrations. Richard realized that he began to make his own decisions from then on. Richard didn't really notice color and he didn't really understand the "strange world of white people". Richard has dreams just like any person and wanted to get out of the south. Writing became his dream, his goal, and his ambition to get out of the south. (Leila Alawad)
I feel that Richard Wright describes racism in a way that is cruel and violating. He describes how black men are asked tainted questions as to how big their members are and if they could spin on it like a top. Black women are also expected to just take whatever sexual advancement or assaults white men do to them, otherwise, they will be shot in the back. Wright whiteness’s multiple forms of abuse given to black people and he can not fathom or understand how black people don’t fight or stop the animalistic cruelty they obtain. Richard tends to present his hatred and emotions outwardly, which white people do not like causing him to lose many jobs while in Jackson. Richards’s friend Griggs tries to teach Richard that he is black, black, black and that he should act as such. Griggs explains that white people expect blacks to keep quiet, to keep their heads down and to keep out of the way. Richard Wright refuses to be a slave to the white people. Instead of becoming a slave to the white people in Jackson he steals from the white people in Jackson, giving him the opportunity to leave. (Jerica Guzman)
There were so many things going on in the South while Richard was growing up, one of them being racism against the blacks. Richard had no idea that racism existed; his family never brought this topic up in their household. He tried finding things out by asking questions, but quickly he was told to be quiet and never to ask questions again. Soon he realized that all of the answers to his questions were outside, but he never expected to experience the hatred and mistreatment from the whites. The South was full of hatred, and full of misjudgments towards the blacks. He became conscious of this when he started working. His first job was selling a newspaper from Chicago to people he knew around the neighborhood. He never new that the papers that he was selling were from the Ku Klux Klan until a friend of the family told him “…the papers you’re selling preaches the Ku Klux Klan doctrines…you’re just helping white people to kill you” (p131). He was told of other jobs where he would help white people do chores around the house, but had to put up with racist comments. Whites thought of blacks as stealers, as people who had no future, not even to be writers. The truth was that in the past, whites had more power, whites had more control, whites had better lives. (Guillermina Hernandez)
How does Wright describe racism in the South? Why is he unable to adapt? Richard constantly had battles with his family, had struggles in his life, and had problems understanding racism. Richard Wright describes racism in the South as something that others put up with because that is how it has been.He knows that racism is wrong but does not know why the black people just go along with it and why they(other black people) want to live the way they do. This feeling of rebelling against the white people was something that Richard felt as a young boy when he seen the chain gang of black prisoners being controlled by only a few white officers. He made a mistake of telling his mother that and got slapped for it.The biggest thing that Richard wants is to leave the South and find a place where he can be himself and not a person who is neither accepted by the black nor the white. Richard is unable to adapt because he can not hide who he is and he is constantly being ridiculed for his actions and his words. He wants to be given an opportunity, he wants to be a writer and he wants to be accepted. Richard knows that there is something better for him and he is determined to find that better something.(Mariana Mojica)
Richard Wright describes racism in the South as customary. Richard watches the world only to find that everyone seems to be ok with racism. Whether a person is black or white, they embrace the fact that racism thrives throughout the South. Deep down, Richard knows that racism is unacceptable but he knows very little about the subject. Richard strives to find answers, but no matter who he tries to get answers from, THEY WOULD AVOID HIS QUESTIONS, AVOID THE TOPIC, AND AVOID THE OBVIOUS CLASH BETWEEN RACE AND CLASS. That didn't stop Richard's appetite to find the answers, especially since racism surrounds him. Even while struggling to make a living delivering newspapers, he later finds out that the papers were from the Klu Klux Klan. Richard writes as a solution to the inequalities he experienced in the South in order to escape from the cruel reality that he lives in. Writing allowed Richard to create his own world and express himself anyway he so pleased. In writing, no one could control him and no one could control his thoughts. (Eric Trevino)
I feel that Wright describes racism in the south as something exploratory. Richard wright growing up faced many obsitcals with race, but was so young to come to senses to what was occurring. It took him grownng up to come to conclusion to the extent racism in the South had came to be. At this point Richard Wright could not hide who he really was and what he felt towards the white and who could blame him, he seen the worst of racism and held this deep frustration towards the non human individuals that had made him felt this way. (Yanira Barrera) parallelism?
In my opinion Wright was not able to cope with racism in the South. He felt that whites had treated blacks as if they were pets or children. Wanting and expecting blacks to respond to their every command, and if the blacks dared to disobey, there would be extreme consequences. The way Wright describes blacks and whites relationships in the South reminds me of the way many African American families discipline their children. From experience i was always told as a child that my opinion did not matter and that whatever my mother said goes regardless of how i felt. My mother growing up as a child also experienced this, she was raised much like Wright's upbringing. As Wright described in the book a child was only to speak when they were spoken to. This is how whites in the South treated blacks, which allowed them to maintain a strict power over blacks. Through his experiences with whites, Wright learned that the whites were dominate, the whites had power and the whites got away with treating blacks unfairly. Wright often felt powerless and inhumane. this is what caused him to struggle, when living in a white man's world. Wright states "I would remember to dissemble for short periods, then i would forget and act straight and human again, not with the desire to harm anybody, but merely forgetting the artificial status of race and class". It was almost as if he had to step out of himself to learn how to act and think as the whites would have him to. (LaTashia Williams)
There is a most interesting correlation between what Richard describes as racism (or for this post, I'll be talking about repression) in the South and his adolescence as a "black boy." Wright illustrates both, life amongst the black community and life amongst the white hostility. I believe LaTashia (the post right above mine), makes a great point by comparing how African American families raise their children and interact, and how white people treat Richard and the other African Americans in the South. It seems that, especially with Aunt Addie, Richard is always put in line in the household. Under Granny's roof, there is no room for expression, no room for distinction, and no room for appreciation. These fiats exist in Richard's social realms as well, seeing that both members of the African American community and of the white community cannot grant individuality or sensitivity, especially to Richard's writing. For instance, many of Richard's black neighbors or brothers, like the farmers that would sign for insurance from Brother Mance (p. 137), would watch Richard in awe while he wrote with his pen. "...I would fill out insurance applications, and a sharecropper family, fresh from laboring in the fields, would stand and gape." (p. 136) African Americans rarely connect with Richard on the level of his writing abilities. Likewise, white people couldn't understand why Richard was writing. For example on page 147, a white woman Richard was working for asks him why he wanted to go to school. "Why are you going to school?" she asked..."Well, I want to be a writer." "A what?" she demanded. "A writer." "For what?" (p. 147) Richard's talents for writing are never quite understood amongst either community. Richard lives and learns with black and white; Richard dies and detaches with suppression and indifference. (Matthew Freitas)
Richard does not have a strong understanding about racism because every time he asked there is not a reasonable response to his anxieties. However, Richard describes some of his experiences, feelings, and thoughts about how “whites” treated black people. In the South whites are well educated people, whites are prestigious families, and whites are powerful. In the South blacks are slaves, blacks are servants, and blacks are uneducated people. Richard experienced racism working with white families; his job was to do chores around white people that treated him like slave but not a particular job lasted more than a day. Almost, every time that Richard was around white people he had remarkable racism memories but he did not quite understand the approaches against black people. Richard did not identify the relationship and hunger between whites and blacks. Then, another significant situation that Richard faced was selling newspapers. These newspapers were from the Ku Klux Klan but Richard was not aware about the context of the newspapers. Richard was shocked when he was told that “…, you’re just helping white people to kill you” (131). After this experience Richard felt hopeless, hopeless in the racial society, hopeless in his imagination. (Blanca Guzman)
There are many connections between writing and racial violence. Richard Wright doesn't even realize he is selling propaganda, distributing propaganda, supporting propaganda with KKK doctrines. These papers had powerful words of hatred and teachings of how to kill black people to be rid of the problem. Wright was enthralled by books. He wanted to write. He wrote stories that his grandmother hated. Then again I'm sure she would only approve of religious writings. He refused to use his principles speech and wrote his own. He knew it wasn't as fancy as the principles but he wanted to use his own words, to give his own perspective. He dreamed of being a writer, something that was frowned upon simply because he was black. He asked "too many questions" about the world around him. He was becoming aware and he could use his writings as a way to go against what society thought he should do. He got his story published in the newspaper and he was proud even though his family and neighbors did not encourage him. His dream kept him hopeful. (Jerricka Habib)
--Wright's descriptions of the South are cold, are dark, are ruthless and are beyond racist. The "White Man" treats Wright, and fellow Blacks, like they are animals, are scum, and are lower than life. Wright can not take hold of the way society is treating him, and he can not fall into his "place." He yearns to write out his emotions, to write out his experiences, and to write out his life. His family tries to discourage him, telling him it's the devils work, but it only fuels Wright's passion to write all the more. He could not understand why "Whites" could have all the privileges in society and why the "Black Man" was not allowed to write, have a voice, or even walk down a street with out being vocally or physically attacked. The South was an extreme change compared to the inner city living, where Wright wasn't even noticed. Now, living in the South Wright's life revolves around constant fear, anxiety, and conformity. For Wright, writing is the means in which he escapes reality, and retaliates against the "White Man." (tasha Boyd)
Racism in the south was an unbalanced scale, a weighted set of dice. The black man did not just struggle; he was set up to fail. Opportunities for economic or social advancements were nearly non existent. For the white man, color was everything, everything was permissible. A white man was expected and empowered to succeed. Strong arming, battery and berating of the black man were commonplace. Even abuse for the sake of entertainment was not looked down upon. For the white man, color was nothing, nothing was forbidden. Whites who witnessed brutality either turned a blind eye or were so desensitized and accustom that unresponsiveness resulted. The white man felt entitled to treat the black man any way he saw fit. Wright would not stand for this lack of justice. He saw that the black mans color is everything, everything could be denied solely on account of his color. A black man could be humble and polite, but his manners would do him little good. One small slip up could earn him the white man’s wrath.The black mans color is nothing, noting could make up for the inborn inadequacy of being born black.
Chantelle Schneider
Richard began to experience the things he would hear about dealing with white employers and white coworkers. As he comes in contact with white people, he fails to understand the proper etiquette when in from of a white person. He battles with himself, because he knows that in his household everything, he does is respectful but according to the white people it makes him seem better than them. He battles with himself constantly lacking the understanding of why what he does offend white people. He also battled with himself when Mr. Crane did not understand why Richard was quitting, but Richard knew he could not tell Mr. Crane out of fear. The south was a bubble to Richard where he would never advance, and he fought to advance with attaining several jobs. It was a battle he had to have with himself, learning from a friend how he should act, speak, and never appear to seem smarter than the white man. Richard finally began to understand to some extent that he was inferior to the white man and needed to stay out of their way at all times. Though, he managed to still sometimes come off as the smarter one unfortunately. (Deshawn Larrimore)`
Richard had been sheltered by his family and had been sheltered by his innocence to realize exactly what was going on with the racism in the south. He began to understand it when he grew older and encountered his first hate crime involving his Uncle Hoskins but apart from that, his mother had never thought of revealing to him that he was different and he needed to act differently among different people. When he thought of the white man beating the black boy, he thought that that man was the boy's father and so had a paternal right to beat him but his mother had explained that he wasn't the boy's father but didn't seem to get into details about why the incident had happened. He thinks of the south as cruel and unequal and I feel that the reason he is unable to adapt is because his mother as well as the rest of his family had kept him from knowing what was really going on that Richard didn't see much difference until he had to experience it for himself. (Guadalupe Salazar)
PLEASE UNDERLINE OR BOLD YOUR SENTENCE WITH THE PARALLELISM INCLUDED.
Option 1: How does Wright describe racism in the South? Why is he unable to adapt?
Option 2: Explore the connections between writing and racial violence in Black Boy. How does Wright use writing as a solution to the inequalities he experienced in the South?
Growing up Wright wasn't aware of the meaning behind racism or why he and his family were forced to struggle in a world where whites were dominant. He is taught from a very young age that blacks and whites aren't meant to interact with one another but he is never sure why, which in turn makes adapting to racism increasingly difficult as he gets older. As he grows older he is able to try and make his own conclusion in relation to the struggles that his family as well as other black families went through. Only then, is Wright able to make sense of class struggle, labor struggle, and economic struggle. Although Wright's experiences as an adult were not easy to understand or accept he was able to gain a better understanding of the class divide between whites and blacks in a segregated society. It's through these experiences that Wright is able to express his thoughts and feelings through his writing. (Cody Devereaux)
Richard learned the power of writing when he realized that he was selling newspapers that preached the Ku Klux Klan doctrines. He learned that in reality he was helping them kill him and his own people. Whites used writing as a tool to convince other whites to support their hatred towards black people. These newspapers informed and educated whites in the South about ways to control black people. Richard learned that whites used this method because many black people didn’t know how to read which made them even more vulnerable. Something that impressed Richard was when he read how much whites brag about their conquests. From this experience Richard learned that he could also use writing as way to express all the racial injustices he saw around him. Many people didn’t understood why he wanted to be a writer because they believe that it was a waste of time. Something they didn’t know was that the only way he could express his huger for liberty, his hunger for freedom of expression, his hunger for understanding, and his hunger for equality was through writing. He learned that the only place where he was able to say and express how he felt about whites without getting kill was trough his writing. The only weapons he had against white oppression were the words he wrote. (Marisol Ornelas)
Wright describes racism as being a defining factor of his life growing up. Although it was a topic that wasn't directly addressed in the home, it was an issue that Richard definitely faced as he grew older. Racism and inequality was a taboo topic in his family, and the women in his family were always unwilling to address the issue. African Americans in the community were more willing to enlighten Richard on the inequality in jobs and the racism he would face from his employers. I think this is one of the main reasons he is unable to adapt. Richard had no understanding of racism, and had never experienced it, therefore, he was blind to its realities. When entering the work force, Richard began to see the inequalities that his friends and community members had warned him about. He began asking his friends about job opportunities in the city, and came upon a few positions that he was interested in. When he went to the first house of a white woman, he was surprised that one of the first questions she asked him, was whether or not he stole. Richard had a very sarcastic way of speaking to the people around him, and the woman was appauled that he had laughed at her question. She responded with, "Now, look, we don't want a sassy nigger around her," (146). Richard was unaware of the expectations that the white people around him would have: respond with yes sir/mam, move out of their way if they walked by, keep his head down when spoken to, and work and eat very quickly. He was surprised by the way he was treated by the various people that employed him as well. His employers all called him nigger. When Wright mentioned to his boss at the time that he wanted to be a writer, she responded with, "You'll never be a writer. Who on Earth put such ideas in your nigger head?" (147). There was a complete lack of respect for African American people in that time, and they faced constant struggles because of it. Blacks were lynched, beaten, and arrested, sometimes for no reason at all. Richard began to see the inhumanity in the world as he continued to work. He was bullied at his job for being black, and was later assaulted by an employee, and threatened to never speak of the incident or he would be killed. Richard began to harbor hatred towards the white people in his community that had done him wrong. Richard hungered for knowledge and food, which was initially why he had decided to work in the first place. He struggled to find himself a job that would provide him with enough money to buy himself food, so he wouldn't have to eat the food that his grandmother served him. He struggled to belong, struggled to receive the education he desired, and struggled to find himself in a sea of uncertainty. (Gabby Clyde)
I feel that Richard Wright talks about racism as something that is forbidden to talk about amongst the black community. It is almost something secretive that the elders keep from their young children as long as they can, which is why Richard had to adapt to the reality of racism amongst society. His mother, grandmother, etc... would not answer any of the questions he had on the matter of racism. This was why Richard considered himself "tardy" on understanding the meaning of a black and white person. From what I have read so far I also feel that Richard learns about racism from what others have to say, he has been taught to hate those who are white but is unsure as to why he should feel that way. "The touchstone of fraternity was my feeling toward white people, how much hostility I held toward them, what degree of value and honor I assigned to race. None of this was premeditated, but sprang spontaneously out of the talk of black boys who met at the crossroads." Richard presents that his thoughts of white people have come from his surroundings. If you were to be a part of a black community there was certain ways of thinking. Therefore, it is the thoughts and opinions of others that teach him to adapt to the racial segregation occurring. However there are times where he learns himself about racial discrimination. Selling magazines that contained lynching stories and their horrific stories inform him of things others would not darn to talk about if asked. (Jodi Gongora) parallelism?
Richard learned growing up that his questions about racism were never answered. It was a topic that everyone avoided and he did not understand why that was. It was something that everyone had to put up with. In the south blacks were treated like animals. Treated like they were worthless. Treated like garbage. The south was a place where black people were not allowed to have aspirations. According to white people they would never be anything important in life. They would not be able to succeed at anything only because they were black. Richard had aspirations and dreams and he was not going to let anyone get in his way of accomplishing them. He knew somehow he had to move and continue his journey towards success. It was because of his love of reading that he got more curious to what was really happening and why white and black people were so different. He experienced at first hand the violence and discrimination of white people towards the black people at the places he worked. They were not treated equally and the black people always had to do the dirty jobs that the white people would never do. Guillermo Rojas
What is striking about Wrights descriptions of racism in the South is the raw, animalistic way the races regard one another. Punctuated by irrational fear and unfathomable rage, the interaction between blacks and whites resembles that of keeper and kept, hunter and hunted, predator and prey. The white community seems to regard blacks as completely subhuman; a beast to be feared, loathed, and—wherever possible—tamed and put to work. This mentality is demonstrated not only in their unspeakably callous way of “hunting” and lynching, but also in more commonplace interactions. Wright describes scenes from his early experiences with whites in which the white employer treats him as a sort of trained animal rather than a fellow human being. For example, on page 147, one of his first employers leaves out moldy molasses and rock-hard bread for his “meal,” then scolds him for not devouring it. “I don’t know what’s happening to you niggers nowadays,” she clucks disapprovingly. It never occurs to her to offer him food fit for human consumption, and she’s clearly vexed when he fails to conform to her notion that niggers, like dogs, should greedily devour anything set before them. Further down the page, when she inquires after Wrights reasons for attending school—what, after all, could a black boy possibly want with an education?—she quips, “Who on earth put such ideas into your nigger head?” The very word, nigger, is applied in a deliberate effort to further dehumanize the black boy in her kitchen. Later, on page 163, when another employers dog attacks him, the owner dismisses Wrights distress, declaring that he “never saw a dog yet that could really hurt a nigger.” Again, nigger seems to imply some basic, genetic difference from humans. A black man is still a man, but to a white employer, niggers are not people; they are animals that can work tirelessly, eat sparingly and survive trifling dog attacks with ease.
This dehumanization is reciprocated as the black community comes to regard whites as a terrible, unpredictable animal force, capable of unspeakable horror at the slightest provocation. On page 172, Wright recounts sensations that would not seem out of place for a man confronting a wild, predatory beast; a “temporary paralysis of will and impulse,” and a sense that the “penalty of death awaited me if I made a false move…” Despite this fear, Wright refused to simply fall in line and accept "his place" in the world. His voracious mind and exposure to the world of reading and writing had forever tainted for him the base existence of the black man in the South; Wright dreamed of more. The system failed to crush his spirit, and more importantly, his imagination and drive. (Ian Loveall)
After learning about the newspapers he was selling, Richard realized that writing was a tool used as propaganda. The whites were able to gain support and momentum quickly, by writing, in order to maintain the Jim Crow south way of living. Newspapers were an efficient way to pass information to whites and to deplete the moral of the blacks who were mostly illiterate and uneducated, and would not be able to read what was being written. The whites used writing as a way to educate other whites on how to handle African-Americans and to brag about their conquests. Although he was devastated, Richard Wright learned that writing was a way to express himself. Blacks considered him a fool for wanting to write. They believed there were better things for Richard to be spending his time doing. However, writing was a pathway that led Richard to self-discovery. He was able to be creative and tell stories, and escape the injustices around him. Writing created a whole new world for him. Richard realized that the whites controlled him, controlled his family, and controlled his future, but through his writing, he was able to be a different person. In writing, he was not the poor, black boy from the south, but a literate, educated man. (Nicole Peck)
Richard would always find a safe place whenever he would write. He would write to dream, to imagine, and to escape the racial south. Richard is always put down by his family and he began to stick to his own morals. Richard would write fictional stories and no one understood why he would make a story up. He was told it was the devil's work. However, he kept writing because it was liberating. Richard is proud of his writing. When the principal asked him to recite the speech he had written because there will be whites there, Richard refused. He thought that even though his speech was not the best it reflected how he is as an individual. The principal threatened him. However, he didn't understand why the school would ask him to write a speech when he isn't allowed to deliver it. Richard was told that he is throwing his life away but he still recited his speech. Richard's writing became a passion and a way to release his frustrations. Richard realized that he began to make his own decisions from then on. Richard didn't really notice color and he didn't really understand the "strange world of white people". Richard has dreams just like any person and wanted to get out of the south. Writing became his dream, his goal, and his ambition to get out of the south. (Leila Alawad)
I feel that Richard Wright describes racism in a way that is cruel and violating. He describes how black men are asked tainted questions as to how big their members are and if they could spin on it like a top. Black women are also expected to just take whatever sexual advancement or assaults white men do to them, otherwise, they will be shot in the back. Wright whiteness’s multiple forms of abuse given to black people and he can not fathom or understand how black people don’t fight or stop the animalistic cruelty they obtain. Richard tends to present his hatred and emotions outwardly, which white people do not like causing him to lose many jobs while in Jackson. Richards’s friend Griggs tries to teach Richard that he is black, black, black and that he should act as such. Griggs explains that white people expect blacks to keep quiet, to keep their heads down and to keep out of the way. Richard Wright refuses to be a slave to the white people. Instead of becoming a slave to the white people in Jackson he steals from the white people in Jackson, giving him the opportunity to leave. (Jerica Guzman)
There were so many things going on in the South while Richard was growing up, one of them being racism against the blacks. Richard had no idea that racism existed; his family never brought this topic up in their household. He tried finding things out by asking questions, but quickly he was told to be quiet and never to ask questions again. Soon he realized that all of the answers to his questions were outside, but he never expected to experience the hatred and mistreatment from the whites. The South was full of hatred, and full of misjudgments towards the blacks. He became conscious of this when he started working. His first job was selling a newspaper from Chicago to people he knew around the neighborhood. He never new that the papers that he was selling were from the Ku Klux Klan until a friend of the family told him “…the papers you’re selling preaches the Ku Klux Klan doctrines…you’re just helping white people to kill you” (p131). He was told of other jobs where he would help white people do chores around the house, but had to put up with racist comments. Whites thought of blacks as stealers, as people who had no future, not even to be writers. The truth was that in the past, whites had more power, whites had more control, whites had better lives. (Guillermina Hernandez)
How does Wright describe racism in the South? Why is he unable to adapt?
Richard constantly had battles with his family, had struggles in his life, and had problems understanding racism. Richard Wright describes racism in the South as something that others put up with because that is how it has been.He knows that racism is wrong but does not know why the black people just go along with it and why they(other black people) want to live the way they do. This feeling of rebelling against the white people was something that Richard felt as a young boy when he seen the chain gang of black prisoners being controlled by only a few white officers. He made a mistake of telling his mother that and got slapped for it.The biggest thing that Richard wants is to leave the South and find a place where he can be himself and not a person who is neither accepted by the black nor the white. Richard is unable to adapt because he can not hide who he is and he is constantly being ridiculed for his actions and his words. He wants to be given an opportunity, he wants to be a writer and he wants to be accepted. Richard knows that there is something better for him and he is determined to find that better something.(Mariana Mojica)
Richard Wright describes racism in the South as customary. Richard watches the world only to find that everyone seems to be ok with racism. Whether a person is black or white, they embrace the fact that racism thrives throughout the South. Deep down, Richard knows that racism is unacceptable but he knows very little about the subject. Richard strives to find answers, but no matter who he tries to get answers from, THEY WOULD AVOID HIS QUESTIONS, AVOID THE TOPIC, AND AVOID THE OBVIOUS CLASH BETWEEN RACE AND CLASS. That didn't stop Richard's appetite to find the answers, especially since racism surrounds him. Even while struggling to make a living delivering newspapers, he later finds out that the papers were from the Klu Klux Klan. Richard writes as a solution to the inequalities he experienced in the South in order to escape from the cruel reality that he lives in. Writing allowed Richard to create his own world and express himself anyway he so pleased. In writing, no one could control him and no one could control his thoughts. (Eric Trevino)
I feel that Wright describes racism in the south as something exploratory. Richard wright growing up faced many obsitcals with race, but was so young to come to senses to what was occurring. It took him grownng up to come to conclusion to the extent racism in the South had came to be. At this point Richard Wright could not hide who he really was and what he felt towards the white and who could blame him, he seen the worst of racism and held this deep frustration towards the non human individuals that had made him felt this way. (Yanira Barrera) parallelism?
In my opinion Wright was not able to cope with racism in the South. He felt that whites had treated blacks as if they were pets or children. Wanting and expecting blacks to respond to their every command, and if the blacks dared to disobey, there would be extreme consequences. The way Wright describes blacks and whites relationships in the South reminds me of the way many African American families discipline their children. From experience i was always told as a child that my opinion did not matter and that whatever my mother said goes regardless of how i felt. My mother growing up as a child also experienced this, she was raised much like Wright's upbringing. As Wright described in the book a child was only to speak when they were spoken to. This is how whites in the South treated blacks, which allowed them to maintain a strict power over blacks. Through his experiences with whites, Wright learned that the whites were dominate, the whites had power and the whites got away with treating blacks unfairly. Wright often felt powerless and inhumane. this is what caused him to struggle, when living in a white man's world. Wright states "I would remember to dissemble for short periods, then i would forget and act straight and human again, not with the desire to harm anybody, but merely forgetting the artificial status of race and class". It was almost as if he had to step out of himself to learn how to act and think as the whites would have him to. (LaTashia Williams)
There is a most interesting correlation between what Richard describes as racism (or for this post, I'll be talking about repression) in the South and his adolescence as a "black boy." Wright illustrates both, life amongst the black community and life amongst the white hostility. I believe LaTashia (the post right above mine), makes a great point by comparing how African American families raise their children and interact, and how white people treat Richard and the other African Americans in the South. It seems that, especially with Aunt Addie, Richard is always put in line in the household. Under Granny's roof, there is no room for expression, no room for distinction, and no room for appreciation. These fiats exist in Richard's social realms as well, seeing that both members of the African American community and of the white community cannot grant individuality or sensitivity, especially to Richard's writing. For instance, many of Richard's black neighbors or brothers, like the farmers that would sign for insurance from Brother Mance (p. 137), would watch Richard in awe while he wrote with his pen. "...I would fill out insurance applications, and a sharecropper family, fresh from laboring in the fields, would stand and gape." (p. 136) African Americans rarely connect with Richard on the level of his writing abilities. Likewise, white people couldn't understand why Richard was writing. For example on page 147, a white woman Richard was working for asks him why he wanted to go to school. "Why are you going to school?" she asked..."Well, I want to be a writer." "A what?" she demanded. "A writer." "For what?" (p. 147) Richard's talents for writing are never quite understood amongst either community. Richard lives and learns with black and white; Richard dies and detaches with suppression and indifference. (Matthew Freitas)
Richard does not have a strong understanding about racism because every time he asked there is not a reasonable response to his anxieties. However, Richard describes some of his experiences, feelings, and thoughts about how “whites” treated black people. In the South whites are well educated people, whites are prestigious families, and whites are powerful. In the South blacks are slaves, blacks are servants, and blacks are uneducated people. Richard experienced racism working with white families; his job was to do chores around white people that treated him like slave but not a particular job lasted more than a day. Almost, every time that Richard was around white people he had remarkable racism memories but he did not quite understand the approaches against black people. Richard did not identify the relationship and hunger between whites and blacks. Then, another significant situation that Richard faced was selling newspapers. These newspapers were from the Ku Klux Klan but Richard was not aware about the context of the newspapers. Richard was shocked when he was told that “…, you’re just helping white people to kill you” (131). After this experience Richard felt hopeless, hopeless in the racial society, hopeless in his imagination. (Blanca Guzman)
There are many connections between writing and racial violence. Richard Wright doesn't even realize he is selling propaganda, distributing propaganda, supporting propaganda with KKK doctrines. These papers had powerful words of hatred and teachings of how to kill black people to be rid of the problem. Wright was enthralled by books. He wanted to write. He wrote stories that his grandmother hated. Then again I'm sure she would only approve of religious writings. He refused to use his principles speech and wrote his own. He knew it wasn't as fancy as the principles but he wanted to use his own words, to give his own perspective. He dreamed of being a writer, something that was frowned upon simply because he was black. He asked "too many questions" about the world around him. He was becoming aware and he could use his writings as a way to go against what society thought he should do. He got his story published in the newspaper and he was proud even though his family and neighbors did not encourage him. His dream kept him hopeful. (Jerricka Habib)
--Wright's descriptions of the South are cold, are dark, are ruthless and are beyond racist. The "White Man" treats Wright, and fellow Blacks, like they are animals, are scum, and are lower than life. Wright can not take hold of the way society is treating him, and he can not fall into his "place." He yearns to write out his emotions, to write out his experiences, and to write out his life. His family tries to discourage him, telling him it's the devils work, but it only fuels Wright's passion to write all the more. He could not understand why "Whites" could have all the privileges in society and why the "Black Man" was not allowed to write, have a voice, or even walk down a street with out being vocally or physically attacked. The South was an extreme change compared to the inner city living, where Wright wasn't even noticed. Now, living in the South Wright's life revolves around constant fear, anxiety, and conformity. For Wright, writing is the means in which he escapes reality, and retaliates against the "White Man." (tasha Boyd)
Racism in the south was an unbalanced scale, a weighted set of dice. The black man did not just struggle; he was set up to fail. Opportunities for economic or social advancements were nearly non existent. For the white man, color was everything, everything was permissible. A white man was expected and empowered to succeed. Strong arming, battery and berating of the black man were commonplace. Even abuse for the sake of entertainment was not looked down upon. For the white man, color was nothing, nothing was forbidden. Whites who witnessed brutality either turned a blind eye or were so desensitized and accustom that unresponsiveness resulted. The white man felt entitled to treat the black man any way he saw fit. Wright would not stand for this lack of justice. He saw that the black mans color is everything, everything could be denied solely on account of his color. A black man could be humble and polite, but his manners would do him little good. One small slip up could earn him the white man’s wrath. The black mans color is nothing, noting could make up for the inborn inadequacy of being born black.
Chantelle Schneider
Richard began to experience the things he would hear about dealing with white employers and white coworkers. As he comes in contact with white people, he fails to understand the proper etiquette when in from of a white person. He battles with himself, because he knows that in his household everything, he does is respectful but according to the white people it makes him seem better than them. He battles with himself constantly lacking the understanding of why what he does offend white people. He also battled with himself when Mr. Crane did not understand why Richard was quitting, but Richard knew he could not tell Mr. Crane out of fear. The south was a bubble to Richard where he would never advance, and he fought to advance with attaining several jobs. It was a battle he had to have with himself, learning from a friend how he should act, speak, and never appear to seem smarter than the white man. Richard finally began to understand to some extent that he was inferior to the white man and needed to stay out of their way at all times. Though, he managed to still sometimes come off as the smarter one unfortunately. (Deshawn Larrimore)`
Richard had been sheltered by his family and had been sheltered by his innocence to realize exactly what was going on with the racism in the south. He began to understand it when he grew older and encountered his first hate crime involving his Uncle Hoskins but apart from that, his mother had never thought of revealing to him that he was different and he needed to act differently among different people. When he thought of the white man beating the black boy, he thought that that man was the boy's father and so had a paternal right to beat him but his mother had explained that he wasn't the boy's father but didn't seem to get into details about why the incident had happened. He thinks of the south as cruel and unequal and I feel that the reason he is unable to adapt is because his mother as well as the rest of his family had kept him from knowing what was really going on that Richard didn't see much difference until he had to experience it for himself. (Guadalupe Salazar)